The present invention concerns improvements in and relating to fuel line coupling systems and, in particular, the couplings between a static supply tank and a transportation tanker and between the transportation tanker and a static destination depot tank.
In the developed world vast quantities of petroleum-based fuels are consumed annually by the automotive industry and petrol stations are extremely widespread and commonplace. These petrol stations have to be restocked with fuel by extensive fleets of fuel transportation tankers.
With the very high level of transport and distribution activity, it is inevitable that delivery mistakes frequently occur.
It is estimated that the UK petroleum-based fuel transport and distribution industry loses millions of pounds every year as a result of mistakes being made in fuel delivery where one type of fuel is accidentally fed into a tank containing another type of fuel leading to cross-contamination of one fuel by the other. Where this happens the general remedy is simply to pump out the mixed fuel and ship it back to an oil refinery for regrading by redistillation. A great deal of money is expended in the pumping out and regrading of the fuel. Furthermore, as a general rule, a tanker driver who accidentally mixes fuels is summarily dismissed and a new driver needs to be trained to replace him further increasing the overall costs.
It is a general objective of the present invention to provide a solution to this profound problem that dogs the fuel transport and distribution industry.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a fuel line coupling system for coupling a fluid fuel transportation tanker to a fuel supply tank and subsequently to a fuel destination depot tank, the system comprising a supply tank fuel transfer coupling component; a tanker fuel transfer coupling component to couple with the supply tank""s coupling component for transfer of fuel to the tanker; and a depot fuel transfer coupling component to couple to the tanker fuel transfer coupling component for delivery of fuel from the tanker to the destination depot tank, wherein the tanker coupling component has an adjustable setting fuel type designator means and each of the supply coupling components and depot coupling component have a respective fuel type identifier means each of which identifier means is adapted to operatively interact with the fuel type designator means to physically prevent coupling when the destination depot tank coupling component fuel type identifier means and the supply tank coupling component fuel type identifier means are incompatible;
the identifier means each being provided at or near the coupling end of the respective coupling component and comprising an identifying physical feature, for example one or more pins, that co-operatively engages with a complementary physical feature, for example one or more corresponding sockets, on the fuel type designator means; and the fuel type designator means being provided at or near the coupling end of the tanker coupling component and adjustable to alter the complementary physical feature that is presented for co-operative engagement, to thereby enable the designator means to be set for a required fuel type and only allow coupling together of the tanker coupling component with a supply tank or depot fuel transfer coupling component when the fuel type designator means and fuel type identifier means are compatible and can co-operatively engage with each other.
Preferably the designator means comprises an annular plate that is rotatably mounted to the tanker fuel transfer coupling component, whereby rotation of the annular plate adjusts the setting of the fuel type designator means.
The annular plate is suitably mounted to the tanker fuel transfer coupling component held captive on a neck portion of the coupling component but having a degree of freedom of movement longitudinally of the neck of the coupling to selectively enable the annular plate to be rotated.
Preferably the annular plate is held in register against a stop on the neck portion by the biasing action of resilient biasing means, whereby rotation of the annular plate is enabled by pushing the annular plate against the action of the resilient biasing means.
Advantageously, the annular plate may be secured in different selection rotational positions by means of splines and complementary keyways at different radial orientations around the neck portion of the tanker fuel transfer coupling component.
Preferably each of the fuel supply fuel transfer coupling component and the depot fuel transfer coupling component have an array of locating pins to locate in sockets provided in the annular plate on the transporter fuel transfer coupling component.
Preferably the supply tank fuel transfer coupling component or the depot tank fuel transfer coupling component is formed at one end of a hoze, the other end of which is coupled to the respective tank.
Where the end of the hoze that is coupled to the respective tank is detachable from the tank it suitably has a fuel type identifier means thereon comprising an identifying physical feature that cooperatively engages with a complementary physical feature on the fuel tank so that the hoze couples only to a tank of the appropriate fuel type.
In this case, one or both of the fuel type identifier means at the tank coupling end of the hoze or the complimentary physical feature of the tank could be adjustable to enable them to be set for a different type of fuel.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a tanker fuel transfer coupling component which is suitable for use in the first aspect of the present invention and which is characterised in that it has an adjustable setting fuel type designator means which operatively interacts with a fuel type identifier means of a coupling component of the first aspect of the invention.